The fans in particular the zombified minions at Sactown Royalty were wrong about leading ROY candidate MB3 and arguably our most consistent player over 5 games and they were wrong about Zach LaVine. The guy is a baller who can play the three with his size and trend of the league. He would have fit beautifully with our uptempo run and gun as I emphatically said at the time. This was Vlade's vision. I was hoping beyond hope the Bulls would decline to match our 4/80 offer but it was not meant to be. Vlade made a bold play with merit while the critics and keyboard warriors scoffed. Now they have egg on their faces as they move on to their next unsubstantiated assertion. Will they admit to their former miscalculation? Don't hold your breath!
In 4 games LaVine is averaging 33 PPG on 57% FGs 40% on threes . You can nitpick at the holes in his games but to fill it up with this type of efficiency speaks to his talent at age 23. It didn't occur to me at the time of his free agency but LaVine is similar to Devin Booker. Both players can be a bit shot happy and lackadaisical but they create gravity and headaches when they are on. You don't think that is the type of guy you can build around and add to core on D-Fox and MB3 ??? 90% of the fans thought the answer was "no". This is because they are too quick to buy into false narratives and consensus sentiment. Meanwhile we are left with Jackson playing more minutes than warranted and giving you one decent game out of 5 when the opponent falls asleep on him long enough that he can make "target practice" type shots. Jackson is similar to Lonzo Bust. He garners disrespect from the opponent then makes his move when disrespect is at maximum and defensive resistance at minimum.
Encouragingly, Shumpert has shown revitalization signs before last night DNP-CD. I like Shumpert. He has swagger and veteran poise. In many ways Shumpert is the exact type of player we need! He is feisty on D and has leadership skills. As long as he is selective with his shots and feeds off the attention D-Fox receives and feasts off the penetration of Yogi and Mason (another guy many of the fans got wrong, leading us in PER after after leading us in preseason PER too) Shumpert can be a revelation after being an afterthought. Shumpert can be valuable on two levels (1) his own complementary glue-like play (2) taking minutes away from two phonies, Ben and Jackson.
Now circling back I would like to address the criticism of LaVine's D in general and in this thread. If you don't defend and you are egregious in your effort, if you are just falling asleep and seemingly not giving a damn, it is incumbent on the coach to bear consequences upon the afflicting party. The authority figure has to lay out ground rules and implement them. Did you happen to notice my fellow Kings fans that Giles sat on the bench all of the second half? In addition to coughing the ball up 4 times in 7 minutes further contributing to his negative PER, he couldn't defend his own shadow. In the preseason Giles showed passing and post game on offense and little to nothing on defense. Continuing to get torched on D as the regular season began has now adversely affected his offense. It is an ugly spiral and ominous beginning with a disconcerting floor being established relative to his potential. If this keeps up his confidence will be shattered and tenure short lived. A player used to dominating is being dominated. His mind is spinning in a reality to which he is unaccustomed. The point being however that Joerger did not reward this ineptitude, specifically being unable to do anything with force or anticipation on defensive end, with playing time in the pivotal half. The same would theoretically apply to LaVine. Lock in or sit down. Missed shots happen. But if you are a mannequin on defense you don't play.
Giles is playing his way out of the rotation and to Stockton. I have a couple of theories on this kid I won't go into now. But what keeps you on the floor and rotation is being able to hang defensively. One reason I knew Bagley was going to produce (21 PER 14/7 with one steal and one block 58% FGs) off his preseason is he was hanging defensively. He was not fouling and he was keeping his man between him whether in the paint or perimeter. It is interesting Bagley has been our best or Top 3 performer and Giles our worst when after Summer League the opposite was forecast, that is, Giles was more ready than Bagley to contribute. Once again, another example of not trusting the consensus so readily. Bagley is going to have a 25/15 performance in the next 5-10 games. He is a favorite of Joerger and goes out his way to get him on the floor and get him the ball. That's revelation for a coach with reputation of disdain for rookies. As discouraging and dispiriting as Giles has been Bagley has been as encouraging and exciting. Divergent paths are rooted in the tangible and intangible. Confidence is a fragile thing. One player has it and one does not. Unfortunately one player may not have the base or burst required to compete in an unforgiving league. If you cannot explode or move well in any direction but straight line, you cannot make enough plays to be formidable. Whether psychological or physical Giles needs to find his legs and henceforth his confidence or go back onto the IR. As far as I can tell Harry cannot move laterally or vertically with any degree of certainty or force and that is sort of important to the game of basketball.
I think we should give Harry another 5-10 games to turn it around. I will be rooting for him. Otherwise it is time to give those minutes to Skal or Koufos.